Youth Creating a Cohesive Sri Lanka
The Sri Lanka Youth Parliament is a youth led, youth run initiative, whose aim is to mobilize and create a network of young people to bring about positive and sustainable change to issues that affect youth and their communities in Sri Lanka .
The first step towards this endeavor was the 'first sitting of the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament' (SLYP 2005) which took place on the 24th to the 28th of August 2005 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall. SLYP 2005 was hosted by the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS).
225 delegates aged 16-25 representing all districts, ethnic and religious compositions attended SLYP 2005 on the basis of the action plans submitted by the applicants. The aim of SLYP 2005 was to bring together the first generation of young community leaders to network, develop policy, acquire new skills and most importantly, implement actions for social change around the island as a follow up to the event.
However, the SLYP event does not exist in isolation, rather it is a launching pad for action and the most significant components of the programme occur in delegates own communities through their ongoing activism.
Action Partners will implement their action plans between 2006 and 2008 in their own communities and SLYP will support them through the following activities;
1-Regional Meetings – aimed at motivating and inspiring action partners, facilitating networking and the sharing of information, strengthening alliances.
2-Skills Development Programme - aimed at enhancing the skills of Action Partners to become more effective in developing and implementing their strategies for change.
3-Action Support - providing strategic and financial support to ensure a sustainable future.
4-Networking and Alliance Building Initiatives - Providing SLYP Action Partners with ongoing opportunities to build strategic networks and alliances to support their work.
5-Research and Learning Agenda - Sharing across the SLYP network of learning, information and research relating to the issues that face young people and the actions they have taken for positive and sustainable change.
CREATING A COHESIVE SRI LANKA
After two decades of protracted ethnic conflict which eventually led to a civil war, the country stands “torn apart” with an undefined and insecure future. Sri Lanka is multi-cultural, multi racial, multi ethnic and multi religious country. This adds to the beauty of our motherland and we have to live together as one peaceful nation for this true beauty to be manifest. SLYP will look to create a harmonious environment which we see as the only sustainable solution to the ongoing crisis. It is important to treat each other as one and as Sri Lankans instead of focusing on cultural or racial differences. We have to come together and create a sustainable “cohesive” future.
Sri Lankan Youth Parliament
SLYP uses a symbolic meaning of the word Parliament in its name to reflect the importance of young people as actors and decision-makers in the world today. Around the world, Parliaments are spaces in which agendas are set, strategies are developed and action is planned for. Traditionally, young people have been excluded from such spaces and the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament use of the term represents a reclaiming of that space by young people.
SLYP does not operate like a formal parliament. There are no elections, no ministers, no Parliamentarians. Nor does SLYP employ an adversarial, majority rules or consensus modus operandi. Rather, SLYP encourages critical analysis of issues by young people leading to action for a peaceful, equitable and sustainable world. |
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